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Friday News Wrap-Up November 30 2012

You'd think I'd go another Friday without a Wrap-Up? Well, I almost didn't have enough time, but thankfully I love you guys too much to let another day slip by without a summary of the week that was. Unfortunately due to needing to catch up on a large backlog of titles, the pick of the week has been suspended for this week, so head down to the comments to let us know what has had you excited over the last fortnight!

For those who happened to live through the rebirth of console gaming, you may remember the Dizzy series of puzzle platformers. The Oliver Twins are hoping to get their Egg-ified creation back on the gaming scene with Dizzy Returns, funded thanks to Kickstarter. Only thing is, they have a high-target set (£350,000 to be exact) in order to make it a reality, though they say this cost comes with a guarantee of it being a high quality product complete with new mechanics, a 3D world, and even voice acting. If that floats your boat, throw them a bone via the link below.

If I need to explain why the idea of playing Shadow Warrior on the iOS platform both excites and horrifies me, then you have clearly not played the classic Build engine powered, chop-suey first-person shooter that terrorized the world in 1997. Ultra-violent and crass in a way games shy away from these days, it was a classic only overshadowed by the popular Duke Nukem 3D. Developer 3D Realms are hoping to port the game to the iOS platform by the end of the year and make special mention of plenty of control options, so hopefully everyone is catered for.

I honestly don't know what shocks me more, the fact that Cowbell Hero by Digital Hero Games is going to be a real thing, or that someone didn't do this earlier. In either case, warm up your wrists for some rhythm-game action as you clank along with Marvin Gaye, Steppenwolf, CCR, and BOC amongst others. Frankly, I get a little giggle of glee when I think about trying this title out, so perhaps you'll join me when it hits the App Store in December.

Mega Man Xover - Lands on Japanese App Store

Fans of the extended gaming experience surrounding the Mega Man / Rockman universe may already be familiar with the strange places the series has gone to. Mega Man Xover (crossover?) takes things even further by combining endless running with a turn-based combat system augmented with cards. While the endless runner part doesn't really enamor me, the rest piques my interest, so we'll wait and see if the game gets a release for Western audiences.

It's a thin premise, but The Bowling Dead by Slant Six Games and Activision places you in the unusual position of a zombie apocalypse survivor who discovers a bowling ball that seems to be the only thing that can stop them. Obviously the first part isn't new, but the second part results in a strangely addictive title. It's a sort of mash up between Full Fat's Zombie Flick and a basic arcade Ski-ball simulator. Players are assaulted from multiple directions by various zombies of differing shape, size and speed, and with the flick of a finger you can send a powered up bowling ball (in basic or souped-up power-up versions) in order to crush them. If one should reach you then you'll need to beat them off with a fist, knife, or anything else you have equipped. Fail too many times and it's game over - no gold earned. Being a free title the currency is doled out sparsely, though not sparsely enough to make things unbearable. New items and abilities are unlocked regularly, giving you something to work towards to increase your zombie-killing potential. For a game with no initial investment, The Bowling Dead makes for a fun, tongue-in-cheek distraction, partly thanks to its gameplay and partly thanks to its dedication to its thin premise via voice-acted interludes. A polished pick for those who don't like to part with money easily.

Once again, thanks for waiting for the return of the Wrap-Up and as always you can help us out by liking, subscribing and spamming all of your friends on Facebook and Twitter with news from our feeds. Enjoy the weekend!